Page 368 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Saturniidae
TRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION Central and eastern North America
DIS
HABIT
HABITAT T Deciduous forests
HABITAT
A
HOST PLANTS
HOST PLANTS
HOS T PLANT S Deciduous hardwood trees, in particular oak (Quercus spp.)
NOTE
NO TE Gregarious, defoliating caterpillar active in late summer
NOTE
and fall
CONSERV
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but among the more common in its family
T
TION S
A
TUS
A
ADULT WINGSPAN
1
–2 in (30–50 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2 in (50 mm) ANISOTA SENATORIA
ORANGE-STRIPED
OAKWORM
366
(J. E. SMITH, 1797)
Orange-striped Oakworms hatch from eggs laid 10 to 14 days
earlier in large clusters of up to 500 eggs on the underside of
leaves. The dark green young larvae are gregarious but disperse
when they are older. The mature caterpillars tend to eat the entire
leaf except for the midrib. They then drop to the forest oor and

wander in search of suitable pupation sites underground. They
overwinter as pupae. There is one generation a year, with the
emerging orange-yellow moths active in early to mid summer.

The Orange-striped Oakworm caterpillar has a
black body with yellow-orange stripes that run its The caterpillar is a pest of hardwood trees, especially the Red
entire length. There are two black horns on the
second thoracic segment, tiny, backward-facing Oak (Quercus rubra) and other oak species—hence its common
tubercles on the other segments, and several
short, black spines at the anal end. name. Trees can tolerate some defoliation as it occurs at the end
of the growing season, but repeated infestations over several
years can seriously damage them, especially if combined with an
attack earlier in the season from other defoliating species, such
as the Gypsy Moth caterpillar (Lymantria dispar).

Actual size